Learn My Purpose

Welcome! Explore this area to access resources including Pastor Rick Warren’s Daily Hope free email devotional, 42 audio messages for you to learn your purpose, and leadership courses that will take you deeper into a purpose driven life.

What On Earth Am I Here For?
Study Guide Resources:

The Book

The most basic question everyone faces in life is Why am I here? What is my purpose? Self-help books suggest that people should look within, at their own desires and dreams, but Rick Warren says the starting place must be with God and his eternal purposes for each life. Real meaning and significance comes from understanding and fulfilling God's purposes for putting us on earth.

The Purpose-Driven Life takes the groundbreaking message of the award-winning Purpose-Driven Church and goes deeper, applying it to the lifestyle of individual Christians. This book helps readers understand God's incredible plan for their lives. Warren enables them to see the big picture of what life is all about and begin to live the life God created them to live.

The Purpose-Driven Life is a manifesto for Christian living in the 21st century...a lifestyle based on eternal purposes, not cultural values. Using biblical stories and letting the Bible speak for itself, Warren clearly explains God's five purposes for each of us:

We were planned for God's pleasure

so your first purpose is to offer real worship.

We were formed for God's family

so your second purpose is to enjoy real fellowship.

We were created to become like Christ,

so your third purpose is to learn real discipleship.

We were shaped for serving God

so your fourth purpose is to practice real ministry.

We were made for a mission

so your fifth purpose is to live out real evangelism.

This 10th anniversary edition, with emphasis on the question What on Earth Am I Here For? is the life-message of Rick Warren, founding pastor of Saddleback Church. Written in a captivating devotional style, the book is divided into 42 short chapters (six weeks) that can be read as a daily devotional, studied by small groups, and used by churches participating in the nationwide 40 Days of Purpose campaigns.

Free Purpose Driven Life Resources

Welcome to the free resources section of The Purpose Driven Life. These resources are designed to support you on your journey to live a purpose-driven live.

"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ...he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone." Ephesians 1:11 (Msg)

Find a helpful list of books, both classic and current, listed by each of the five purposes, for further study.

Personal Daily Bible Reading Plans (PDF) 30 Days | 90 Days | 1 Year
Sometimes it helps to know where to read in the Bible. These are daily Bible reading plans that will chart your way through the New Testament in 30 days, a little more manageable plan through the New Testament in 90 days, or for you long-term plodders, a plan that will have you finishing the whole Bible through in one year of daily readings. Choose the plan that suits you best!

How to Pray for Missionaries (PDF)
This link is a helpful guide for those who want to pray knowledgeably for missionaries to other cultures and countries. It contains information about the typical needs of missionaries and even has a suggested weekly prayer plan.

Keep On Praying (PDF)
Why be persistent? How come my answers sometimes don't come immediately? Why should I keep on praying when the answer doesn't come in my time table?

The Purpose Driven Life Health Assessment (PDF)
Want to find out how your life measures up to the five purposes of the Purpose Driven Life? Take this simple test. Also helps you create a plan to help grow.

Sample Life Purpose Statements (PDF)
Sample some of the tools Rick uses to create his own personal life statements and evaluations in the areas of mission, family, vocation, and community ministry.

Celebrate Recovery
This link takes you to the Celebrate Recovery home page where you can find everything you need to know about this unique Christ-centered recovery program for purpose-driven churches, including finding a CR program near you.

HIV&AIDS Initiative
Compelling stories from individuals living with HIV/AIDS and practical ways to get involved in caring for those who come face to face with HIV on a daily basis.

Orphan Care Connection
You are God's hope for the orphan! Saddleback Church has made Orphan Care a signature issue of our church because it is clear in God's Word, God never forgets the orphan. God cares for the orphan. God wants us to care for the orphan. You can get involved in your local community.

The PEACE Plan
Ordinary people empowered by God making a difference together wherever they are.

The Church-Wide Campaign

Learn more about participating in the What on Earth Am I Here For? Small Group Study that includes six video session taught by Pastor Rick Warren, as well as a Study Guide with extras and discussion questions.

Get These Resources:

“O Lord, now I have heard your report,
and I worship you in awe.” (Habakkuk 3:2a LB)

If you want
to hear God speak, then worship God.

In other
words, thank him for being a part of your life and for being interested in the
details of your life. Thank him for answering your prayers: “O Lord, now I have heard your report, and I
worship you in awe” (Habakkuk
3:2a LB). God gives you a vision. God gives you a dream. You know what
God wants you to do, so now you thank him for answering your prayer. That’s
part of worshiping God.

What I want
you to do is to stop seeing your prayers as a monologue and start seeing them
for what they truly are: a dialogue. Prayer is a conversation with God. God hears
you when you pray, and he answers you when you ask questions. He wants to talk
to you every day. If you will faithfully talk to God every day throughout the
day, it will revolutionize your life.

Now, you
can't hear God until you know God, and there are three levels of knowing God:
recognition, acquaintance, and friendship. You may be at the recognition level;
you know God is there, but you don't really know him. Or, you may be at the
acquaintance level; you know God a little bit, but you don't know him very
well.

God wants you
to live at the friendship level. He wants to be your friend, and he wants you
to be his friend. God wants you to talk with him all the time.

Talk It Over

Pray this
prayer today: “Dear God, I'm amazed that you would want me for a friend. I
really want to learn to have conversations with you. Help me to spend time with
you every day. Thank you that you care about every detail of my life. Jesus, I
want to know you more and more every day, and I want to depend on you for
guidance in my job, my family, my future, and in every other area of my life. I
invite you to be the manager of my life, my Lord and Savior, as I follow you
and trust you. In your name I pray. Amen.”

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.,
one of America's largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the
New York Times bestseller "The Purpose Driven Life." His book, "The Purpose Driven Church,"
was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the
founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.